We know the depth and height of his love for us and are convinced that he has things under control, even when they appear entirely out of control. We can remain steady in the face the turbulence because we know whose we are and that he can be trusted. In other words, when the world around us rages like a storm or even a hurricane, we will not be moved because he has given us what we need to stand. MacDonald explains that “There must be these moments when we break our routines, from other relationships, from the demands of the outer world, to meet him in the garden (126),” because from this place “comes the energy that overcomes turbulence and is not intimidated by it” (25). These times spent with God in quietness, in reading scripture, and in talking with him, are essential to attaining the peace we seek. When this garden is in proper order, it is a quiet place, and there is an absence of busyness, of defiling noise, of confusion (118). This garden is a place where the Spirit of God comes to make self-disclosure, to share wisdom, to give affirmation or rebuke, to provide encouragement, and to give direction and guidance. I love how MacDonald puts it:įor me the appropriate metaphor for the inner spiritual center is a garden, a place of potential peace and tranquility. This place of firm belief and trust is grown, rather like a garden, over years of faithful devotion and time spent with him. One does not acquire a steadfast mind in just one day. He will keep in perfect peace him whose mind I will attempt to answer it with three: Time.
But how do we go about developing that kind of God-trust? Gordon MacDonald in his classic, Ordering Your Private World, takes just under 200 pages to answer this question. Peace comes when we steadfastly trust in the living God for everything. The prophet Isaiah tells us in Chapter 26, verse 3 that He will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast because he trusts in you. From this verse we learn that (1) God gives peace, (2) he gives it to those with steadfast minds, and (3) a steadfast mind comes via trust in him. When we run to him at these low points, he is there and he offers us the peace we long for. He is a good, good Father and he can be trusted. Just when life seems to return to some sort of normalcy, one aspect or another of the situation rears its ugly head, and we find ourselves plunged, once again, into fear and despair.īut then we remind ourselves of the truth we have learned through our experiences: our circumstances do not change who God is.
He will keep in perfect peace those who are atradfast trial#
Our family has walked through a painful trial over the past several years. It’s worth the effort then, don’t you think, to consider how we can find peace with God and carry it with us as we journey through life. A life without it though seems to me very stressful and filled with anxiety. In my view, we look and hope for many things in life–meaning, purpose, acceptance, and love–but peace, something our hearts crave, is often illusive. Hi everyone! I’ve had a lot opportunity lately to think about peace.
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